Informed

643.

Before Xu Jiaheng left my house, he told me to go see Qiu Yang the next day and asked if I needed Qiu Yang's contact information. I said no. The funniest thing is, after all these years, I still remember his phone number. No need to give it to me.

644.

The number is dialed.

"Hello?"

"Qiu Yang."

"Hey, an old classmate called."

“…”

"I'm really afraid of receiving calls from old classmates now. Unexpected calls usually mean they're getting married. What? Are you getting married?"

I could even imagine how playful he looked on the other end of the phone, and I said,

"Now is not the time to joke around."

"I know. Xu Jiaheng told me. See you tomorrow?"

"Where shall we meet?"

"...a barbecue restaurant, just treat it as a party."

"Which store?"

"The main store and branch are too far away from you. Aren't you on the island?"

"Okay, see you tomorrow. What time tomorrow?"

"At night, don't you like sleeping during the day?"

"I'll call you when I get there?"

"No, I'll wait for you."

645.

Just treat it as a get-together. I also thought that maybe he wouldn't help me. When we met, he said it had been a long time, and I said it had indeed been a long time.

"Why are you so white?"

When I asked this question, he laughed and said that he used to get sunburned because of daily training.

"Who are you looking for?" he asked me.

"My ex."

"A senior from the second year of high school? An Jing? I asked before, but they said they didn't know you."

"Then I don't know who he is."

"Is it such a weird thing? Just tell me whether you made the wrong choice at the beginning." He smiled and opened a bottle of beer and handed it to me. I said I didn't want to drink it.

"What to choose?"

"Choose me, you should have chosen me then and there."

"Why?"

"Choose me, at least I won't let you find me."

"If I were given another chance and could go back to the beginning, I would not choose you." This is the truth.

"I know, that's why I haven't liked you for a long time. Do you believe it?"

"If you don't believe me, why are you crying?"

"I didn't cry. It's been a long time since we last met. I thought I would never see you again. I thought so."

"Will you help me?"

"Yes, I'm used to being a good person. Do you have a photo of him? Let me see."

"No."

"Contact information?"

"The number is unavailable."

"No friends or anything like that."

"...No."

"So what kind of relationship are you in?"

"You don't sound like you'll help me."

"You don't act like you're begging for help. What are you talking about me?"

We arrived very late and the store was about to close. All the customers had left and only Qiu Yang, Qiu Han and Qiu Ju were left.

"Is your ex a local?" Qiu Ju asked me.

"yes."

"Where did he live before?"

"No. 29 Xixiang Road, he said."

"where??"

"No. 29 Xixiang Road."

"Are you sure it's No. 29?" Qiu Ju and Qiu Han both frowned. I didn't understand why they reacted so strongly, so I repeated it again.

"I'm sure, number 29."

646.

"It can't be the 29th." Qiu Han said.

"Why?"

"What does he look like?"

"Fair skin, very thin, shorter than me. Freckles on the face, carrying a gray schoolbag..."

"Are you wearing glasses?" Qiu Ju asked.

"Wear glasses."

"Square?"

"How do you know?" I seemed to see the truth coming out.

"There was a fire on Xixiang Road, right at No. 29. Why didn't you know about it?"

"What's the meaning?"

"I've seen the person you mentioned. He's my junior, but he's much older than you, so you couldn't have met him. But he looked just like you described. He used to live at No. 29. During the summer vacation after graduating from high school, the battery in his house caught fire and he died. At that time, you were only in junior high school? First or second year. Didn't you read the newspaper?" Qiu Ju told me.

647.

"How many people were burned to death? One! He was a student I taught a few years ago..."

“What a pity…”

"...Didn't you guys modify it?"

"You guys don't read the newspaper?!"

I seemed to be back in the class meeting and heard Li Siwen saying this while standing at the podium.

648.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"I don't know. How could I remember so much after so many years? Why don't you ask your class teacher?" Qiu Ju replied.

“…”

"Are you sure it's the 29th?" Qiu Han asked again.

“Not sure anymore.”

Maybe I remembered it wrong, I said this at the end.

649.

Back home, I opened the message board again. For the past six months since An Jin disappeared, I've wanted to give up every day, and I've been reluctant every day. But now, my thoughts are intertwined with memories, and the past is so confusing that I don't know whether I should give up or not.

Do I really not know who he is?

Did all this really happen?

"I know everything about you."

"I'll always be 18."

"You have many possibilities, but those are my impossibilities."

"Remodeled? I'm scared."

"I'm afraid of fire."

"Does your name have any special meaning? An Jin."

"Isn't that a coincidence? One is afraid of water and the other is afraid of fire."

"I'll wait for you by the locust tree."

"A locust tree in the middle is haunted."

"Is this true?"

An Jin, are you real or fake?

650.

Do you trust him, or do you trust the others around you?

"Someone was following you, how come I didn't know?"

"Senior, I'll give you back your eraser. Don't follow me from now on."

"This isn't mine."

"Don't lie to me."

"Yu Xinxin said you were looking around all the time, and I didn't know who you were looking at."

"I see you're clearly alone."

"Who are you dating?"

"Pei Xuzhen, who are you dating?"

"...you were talking to yourself, and I was scared..."

So, that day, my birthday. The day I sat with An Jin, the day Xu Jiaheng ignored me behind my back, I was alone the whole time, right?

I asked the air, "Are you full?" Is that right?

He disappears and reappears, there is no such person, right?

651.

"So why did you show up so late?"

"The finale, understand?"

Impossible! He even has a catchphrase; it can't be fake. He loves eating bubble gum and copying lyrics. When I was a sophomore and he was a junior, we even went to Back Street to eat pork chop rice. He just disappeared, doesn't mean he never showed up.

He exists, definitely.

652.

"Why don't you bring your friends?" I remembered the day when An Jin and I were negotiating at the cold drink shop. The previous boss asked me this before leaving.

"We haven't been in touch for a long time."

So, am I also a person in his eyes?

653.

How is it possible that someone can come and go as they please?

654.

"Anna has one advantage that you don't have. She knows to take medicine when she's sick. I'm worried about your condition."

"What are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about you much more than she is, but you don't know it."

656.

Now is the time to know?